Hello and welcome to our coverage of this Champions League quarter-final second-leg game between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena.

When Harry Kane doubled Bayern’s lead within 20 seconds of the second half in last week’s first leg in Spain, Real looked on the verge of collapse. Luiz Diaz had already handed Vincent Kompany’s side the advantage with a composed 41st-minute finish, before Kane swept in Bayern’s second. 

The Santiago Bernabeu became a cauldron of despair and anxiety. Still, Real, inspired by Jude Bellingham’s introduction from the bench, rallied as Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior both came close to scoring. Trent Alexander-Arnold eventually set up Mbappe with a brilliant cross, and the French forward tapped in from close range to halve the deficit, leaving the tie delicately balanced. 

Unsurprisingly, Bayern are cruising to the Bundesliga title. They smashed St Pauli 5-0 at the weekend, extending their unbeaten league run to ten matches, while also breaking the record for the most Bundesliga goals scored in a single season. Jamal Musiala’s early header was Bayern’s 101st league goal, equalling the record they set in the 1971/72 campaign. The full-time result ensured that the German powerhouse have now scored 105 goals in 29 Bundesliga games this season.

Bayern’s overwhelming domestic superiority meant that Kane and Aleksander Pavlovic were unused substitutes against St Pauli. Other key players such as Diaz, Michael Olise, Joshua Kimmich, Josip Stanisic, and Jonathan Tah all either started on the bench or were withdrawn in the second half. Serge Gnabry missed the match but is ready to return. The free-scoring Germans are well rested and overflowing with confidence, and look like serious contenders for this season’s Champions League.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s stuttering domestic campaign was dealt another blow at the weekend as Alvaro Arbeloa’s men drew 1-1 against Girona in LaLiga at the Bernabeu. Federico Valverde powered Real into a 51st-minute lead, before Thomas Lemar netted an equaliser. Barcelona’s commanding 4-1 victory over Espanyol meant that the Catalans extended their LaLiga advantage to nine points. With just eight league fixtures remaining, Real have seemingly allowed the title to escape their grasp.

Only a Champions League trophy can rescue what has been a hugely disappointing season for the Spanish giants. However, they’ll need a win in Germany over Bayern to have any chance of progressing into the semi-finals. 

Kick-off is at 20:00, with team news to follow shortly. 

The M66 southbound is closed between the A56/A676 (Edenfield) and J1 (Walmersley) due to a serious collision and flooding on the carriageway.

National Highways Traffic Officers and Area Teams are on scene working to clear the flood water.

The barrier damage will be assessed and repaired once the flood water has cleared. 

Diversion Route 

Road users are advised to follow the hollow triangle diversion symbol on road signs:

• Leave the A56 southbound at the A56/A676 roundabout at Edenfield and take the 2nd exit onto the A56 heading south. 
• Turn right at the Wood Lane, Whalley Road junction to remain on the A56 and follow for approx. 2 miles.
• Continue to the M66 J1 and turn left to rejoin the M66 and continue your journey. 

A spokesman for National Highways said: “If this closure impacts on your planned route, please allow extra journey time. Plan ahead, you may wish to re-route or even delay your journey. 

“Further information is available from National Highways by visiting our  www.trafficengland.com website and travel apps, or via our regional X feed. Our 24/7 contact centre team is also available to provide up to the minute information on 0300 123 5000. ”

The Met Office says some parts of the UK could see hail and thunder on Thursday as it warns weather conditions will remain changeable before easing over the weekend

The Met Office says some parts of the UK face hail and thunder on Thursday.

The national weather service warned that conditions will remain changeable over the coming days before turning drier over the weekend. While rain is expected to clear eastwards on Wednesday evening, showers will continue overnight elsewhere, falling heaviest and most frequently in the northwest.

In its forecast for Thursday, the Met Office said some parts of the UK could even face hail and thunder. The forecast for tomorrow states: “A bright and breezy day, with sunny spells and showers. Showers most frequent in the north, some heavy with the risk of hail and thunder. Feeling warm in the sunshine.”

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The BBC forecast for tomorrow suggests showers will come in the north-west. It states: “Tomorrow will see variable cloud across the UK along with a few showers in places, these more frequent in the north-west. Cloud building in the south and far west later on. A less windy day.”

Thursday will be a “showery day” across Scotland, particularly in the west, and parts of northern England, Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said. Another weather system could bring outbreaks of rain, particularly to Wales by the afternoon, before spreading to Northern Ireland, western England and much of Scotland by the evening.

Much of East Anglia and the southeast is expected to stay dry and bright for much of the day. Despite the spells of rain, temperatures will remain mild across the country.

The Met Office says outbreaks of rain are forecast to move slowly eastwards through Friday and into early Saturday. High pressure is then expected to build, bringing a drier and brighter weekend.

Looking towards next week and beyond, the Met Office says high pressure to the north or northeast of the UK will bring “plenty of dry weather and sunny spells for most”.

The outlook for April 20 to April 29 states: “Low pressure in the Atlantic will try to push weather fronts towards the UK from the south west, but these may remain slow moving. Some parts of the east coast could be on the chilly side with low cloud and onshore breeze, but further west it will likely feel quite warm, especially in sunnier areas.

“From next weekend and into the start of the following week, there are signs that more unsettled weather could return for a time, bringing rain or showers to some areas.”

The showers forecast for the UK on Thursday come as much of Europe, particularly Italy and the Balkans, has been hit by stormy weather over the past few days. According to BBC Weather, the frontal system is expected to move steadily southwards, bringing improving conditions to those areas on Thursday.

St Peter’s School’s application for the multi-use games area (MUGA) at the south east edge of its Clifton campus was approved by York Council’s Planning Committee on Monday, April 13.

School Director of Operations Giles Roberts told councillors the facilities would improve the health and wellbeing of pupils and reduced operating hours and noise complaints procedures had been agreed to.

But Tim Bradbury, who lives in North Parade which backs on to the area proposed for the pitch, said it would lead to a substantial intensification of use close to people’s homes.

Plans from the private school, which is the fourth-oldest in the world, were first lodged in December.

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It is set to see an artificial pitch built with markings for sports including football, netball and tennis, the details of which will be decided at a later date.

Monday’s meeting heard it would take around four to six weeks to build the pitch which would not be flood-lit or open to use beyond the school.

Councillors put conditions to try and control the noise from ball strikes and to prevent the pitch being offered for outside use.

The school’s plans stated the MUGA was for use by pupils in years seven and eight who currently lack pitches elsewhere on it is site,

It would be available for them to practice on from 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday and from 9am to 4pm on Saturdays.

The pitch would be closed on Sundays and bank holidays.

Councillors heard no competitive sports fixtures would be held at the MUGA as the sport had already had facilities for them elsewhere in its grounds.

Council planning officers recommended approving the plans ahead of Monday’s meeting.

But objections were lodged, including from Labour ward councillors Danny Myers and Margaret Wells, over noise concerns and claiming predictions about the effects were not robust enough.

St Peter’s School in Clifton (Image: Pic supplied)

North Parade resident Mr Bradbury said the pitch would be built immediately behind homes there.

The resident said: “This is not a sports pitch, its an all-weather playground behind neighbour’s homes.

“It’s turning this area into a facility that will be used repeatedly, all day, every day, all-year round.

“As a former assistant head teacher at a secondary school I can tell you the noise from children using a space informally is different to supervised children in lessons or at matches.”

School Director of Operations Mr Roberts said there was a hedge, a path and brick wall between the pitch and homes which would help dampen noise.

The director said: “This will serve the existing school community and there will be no flood lights on the pitch.

“This will deliver improved sports and recreational facilities for our pupils with appropriate safeguards in place.”

The plans follow the withdrawal of an application lodged in 2022 for flood-lit hockey pitches, tennis and netball courts and cricket nets.

The school pulled the plans, which also included a 126-seat spectator stand and car and coach parking, in February 2024 after hundreds of objections.

Thousands of pills and kilos of suspected MDMA powder were found in the vehicle

A huge haul of drugs were uncovered after a van was stopped on the M62. Officers from Merseyside Police carried out an operation on the motorway near Prescott on Tuesday (April 14).

At around 7.20pm, officers from the force’s Matrix Roads Policing Unit stopped a Ford Transit Van at Junction 7. The stop was carried out with the intention of checking documentation, Merseyside Police said.

During the stop, officers uncovered multiple kilos of suspected MDMA powder and thousands of suspected MDMA pills. The suspected drugs were seized to be forensically analysed.

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The driver, a 41-year-old man from the Crosby area, was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and disqualified driving.

A police spokesperson said: “As part of a joint operation involving Matrix and Operation Medusa, we have arrested a man and seized large quantities of suspected MDMA following a stop check on the M62 yesterday, Tuesday 14 April.

“At around 7.20pm, officers from our Matrix Roads Policing Unit stop checked a Ford Transit van at Junction 7 of the M62, with the intention of checking documentation.

“During the course of the stop, multiple kilos of suspected MDMA powder (below) and thousands of suspected MDMA pills (above) were seized from the van. These will be forensically analysed.

“The driver, a 41-year-old man from Crosby, was arrested on suspicion of Possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and Disqualified driving. He was taken into custody for questioning.”

The Hays Travel team, made up of 13 staff, set themselves the challenge of walking 900 miles—roughly the length of the Rockies—on an in-store treadmill throughout March to raise funds for the Great Aycliffe Cancer Support Group.

They exceeded their target by walking a total of 1,126 miles, raising £1,389 for the charity.

Rebecca Labron, assistant manager at Hays Travel Bishop Auckland, said: “We chose this charity as cancer has affected us in many different ways.

“We really wanted to do something to help Great Aycliffe Cancer Support Group as they offer so many services to people going through such a hard time.

“They offer free patient transport to hospital appointments, chemotherapy and radiotherapy bags, support groups, and breaks for patients and their families.”

Ms Labron said the group is particularly challenged by rising fuel costs.

She said: “They are currently being hit with the cost of fuel prices, as they rely on volunteer drivers for their ever-expanding transport service.

“By raising this money, we can make a real difference to the charity and help with some of their costs.

“Allison and her team really are amazing people and are worth their weight in gold.”

Allison White, founder of the Great Aycliffe Cancer Support Group, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Hays Travel for raising such a fantastic amount of money for Great Aycliffe Cancer Support Group.

“Every penny will go directly towards supporting local cancer patients, helping us provide free patient transport to hospital appointments and vital support services for families across County Durham and Darlington.”

Hays Travel is the UK’s largest independent travel agent and supports community fundraising through its Local Community Partnership scheme.

Each branch receives a £500 annual budget to support charitable activities, with funds split between youth mental health causes and charities of the branch’s choice.

Over the past year, the national scheme has contributed nearly £170,000 to good causes across the UK.

Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) has managed to keep a secret for nine months in Emmerdale – but how much longer is that going to last?

Last year, Charity had a one night stand with Ross Barton (Michael Parr) after an argument with Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb).

At the same time, Charity had decided to become Sarah Sugden’s (Katie Hill) surrogate. The young woman isn’t able to carry a baby, but really wanted to become a mum. Charity, Sarah’s gran, decided to step forward and carry her and Jacob Gallagher’s (Joe-Warren Plant) baby for them.

She then slept with Ross, and discovered her pregnancy shortly after. As Charity and her family celebrated the positive step for Sarah and Jacob, Ross smelt a rat and knew something was up.

Charity spent months in denial, adamant she absolutely wasn’t carrying her and Ross’ second child. She even got a DNA test, but created a fake document that stated Ross wasn’t the father to stop him from pestering her.

Given this is a soap, it’s incredibly surprising that Charity has managed to keep this secret hidden for so long. Everything will change next week though, as Charity goes into labour – but can she really let Sarah and Jacob bask in the wonder of becoming parents for the first time to a child that doesn’t even belong to them?

Star Emma Atkins recently explained to us how Charity is feeling ahead of the birth: ‘I think because it’s a one-way ticket now – there is absolutely no going back – she’s got this ability to compartmentalise and fully accept that this lie must stay so deeply buried, and therefore, she’s legitimising it all with her own self-belief of, “It’s a selfless act, what I’m doing. I’m giving this baby to my granddaughter because she doesn’t have the means biologically herself to do that”. I think that feeling of giving her something that she couldn’t have naturally is her way of legitimising what she’s done.

‘It’s full throttle now. It’s, “I will have this baby, and I will give it over to Sarah, and her and Jacob can bond with the baby, and it’s their baby”. It’s as simple as that.

‘And as much as Mack knows half the truth and Ross knows all of it, I think at this point in time she feels she can trust them both, because it’s not in their interests to throw any dynamite into the mix at the moment. I think she’s quite okay with the fact that they will keep it to themselves, certainly for now.’

While Charity seems adamant that she won’t have any connection to the baby, no-one really knows how Ross is going to react. A couple of days ago, amid an attempt to get revenge on Joe Tate (Ned Porteous), Charity pretended to go into labour. Ross found them both, and panicked a fair bit when he learnt that Charity was about to give birth.

Later, Charity warned Ross and told him that he needs to reign it in a bit when she actually goes into labour. While it’s possible that Ross might make Charity’s live even more stressful when their baby is born, Emma has confirmed there is no way these two residents could ever happily raise their new child together.

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‘Oh, good God no! Are you kidding?’, she stated.

‘Ross is great in his own entity, and so is Charity, and I think the friction that they have is brilliant. It works because they could never be together, because of this love/hate.

‘A lot of the feedback has been that people like seeing them together in that squabbling way, but in terms of a couple, absolutely no way! But they do have a mutual respect for one another as well, which I think comes through when they write for the characters.’

Reflecting on the journey Charity has been on since she discovered her pregnancy, and how this compares to other chaotic storylines, Emma told us: ‘It is so hard. It’s like when someone asks your favourite song. With the journey that my character’s been on over the years, I could pluck out a thousand storylines that I’ve absolutely loved doing, because every day is a new day in my job.

‘I get the scripts, and there’s always that journey that she goes on. But I think having to carry the baby and tell so many lies, as an actor, having to juggle that level of being so naughty, it’s good to play. I like being a rebel in that way, but a rebel that often comes good.

‘She does it for the love of Sarah and to help Sarah have a little family of her own, so hopefully that keeps her in good stead.’

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Declan Rice has told Manchester City that Arsenal will be ‘ready’ for this weekend’s huge Premier League clash and insists the Gunners will go out to win at the Etihad Stadium.

Mikel Arteta takes his Arsenal team to Man City on Sunday boasting a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners missed the chance to move 12 points clear at the weekend as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth.

Arsenal then saw title rivals Manchester City close the gap at the top of the table to six points with an emphatic 3-0 win at Chelsea.

Given the situation at the top of the Premier League, Sunday’s game has been described as a ‘title decider’ by Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney.

It has been suggested that a point at the Etihad would be sufficient for Arsenal to get over the line and secure a first Premier League title since 2004, but Rice insists they are only thinking about the three points.

Asked whether Arsenal ‘had to win’ their huge clash against title rivals Man City, Rice told TNT Sports: ‘Yeah, of course, you have to win every game, we want to win every game.

‘Our record has been amazing this season and these type of games… it’s why we play the game.

‘We’ll be ready for it, we’ll be ready to go. How much do you want it, you know? I know I’ll be ready and the boys will be ready, so let’s go.’

Rice was speaking after Arsenal booked their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League with a narrow 1-0 win over Sporting.

Kai Havertz scored an injury-time winner out in Lisbon last week and the return leg at the Emirates Stadium ended goalless.

Rice added: ‘I’m delighted. I’m so, so happy. We now want to go one step forward than last season and get to the final.’

‘Frustrating? No…we’ve just got to another semi-final. Who cares what people think.’

Analysing Arsenal’s performance against Portuguese champions Sporting, Chris Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘We know what is going to happen, we know what the narrative is going to be.

‘A lot of people will rip Arsenal to shreds with the way they attacked or, should I say, didn’t attack.

‘Towards the end of the game, it is about seeing it through – the objective tonight was going through and finding a way.

‘It wasn’t perfect by any means, but defensively they do a lot right. It has been a struggle for a while and things do need to change…’

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‘I find it sickening when the town is stinking’

A key member of a local community group has resigned over a lack of action to resolve what she has described as a town’s “sickening” stink.

Warrenpoint Harbour Authority generated a community forum in 2024 after facing heavy local criticism over a perceived bad odour from its port since 2023.

It has been claimed that tonnes of Refuse Derived Fuel from Newry waste management company Re-Gen awaiting shipment for incineration has caused a “disgusting stench”, with further claims the forum has lost “credibility” to clear the town’s air.

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Now former forum member Fionnuala McKinley who lives just yards from port has had enough and said: “It is with frustration that I believe the time has come for me to resign from the forum.

“When I joined it was with a sense of hope, that we could all work together to address issues causing concern for residents.

“However, I believe we have achieved nothing. For many residents the most pressing issues are the disgusting stench, and the noise that can continue until, 2am or 3am in the morning caused by boats being loaded.

“This is April and since March the stink has been so bad I needed to wear face covering at times, to be able to breathe easily in my garden.

“The weather hasn’t even become warm yet. What will it be like when the weather warms up?”

In September last year WHA stated that it had extensive engagement with Re-Gen with the Newry company agreeing to remove all RDF from the port with a proposal to no longer store the waste there, but instead transported directly to ships, for export.

Only Solid Recovered Fuel was to be stored in future on the site which the WHA was told should be non-odorous.

As a result of extensive talks and an independent environmental audit report the WHA set up the community forum to provide a key communication basis on potential bad smells from the port located in the centre of the town.

The forum membership is made up from people living or working within the Warrenpoint area including people with specific expertise.

Ms McKinley added:”I believe that before the forum attempt any other projects they need to resolve the smell and the noise.

“I no longer believe the forum has any credibility and if I remain on it, I too will have no credibility.

“In recent weeks we have seen lots of celebration about the economic impact of the WHA and about the wonderful relationship between WHA and Re-Gen. I find it sickening when the town is stinking.

“It’s time for an independent environmental impact study, addressing the impact on aquatic life, a sociological study on the impact on residents of living with stink and noise.

“I had such hope when I joined the forum , it is with-a sense of sadness I believe I must now resign.”

In August Northern Ireland Secretary of State Hilary Benn MP was lobbied by the community group Rostrevor Action Respecting the Environment and offered his “great sympathy with those impacted by the bad smell”. But he added that it was a devolved matter for Stormont to sort out.

Following the forum resignation, a spokesperson for Re-Gen said:“It is important to say that Re-Gen has had an operation at Warrenpoint Harbour for over 13 years, and we remain compliant with all aspects of our waste management licence at the harbour. We pro-actively engage with all regulatory bodies.”

The WHA was contacted by the LDRS for comment.

On its website at the time of the forum launch, chairperson of WHA Dr Gerard O’Hare said: “Following the publication of the independent environmental audit report into odour and fly issues with some port operations we are determined to implement the findings of the report and work more closely with the local community across a range of areas.

“To this end, we believe that the new Community Forum offers local people a great opportunity to engage with us on how we can continue to support the community.”

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